SF Giants’ Tim Lincecum awarded $100,000 in landlord-tenant case

Just got word from the Beverly Hills Sports Council, which represents Tim Lincecum, that he and a former landlord have agreed to a $100,000 judgment in Lincecum’s favor that ends a San Francisco court case that began when the landlord sued him for allegedly leaving the Mission District townhouse a wreck after he left in 2010.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Lincecum lived in the townhouse during that season and, according to the suit, destroyed and stole property when he departed.

Landlord Mindy Freile sued Lincecum for allegedly damaging the townhouse during his time there and sought $350,000 in damages. Lincecum countersued, arguing that her allegations were false, and furthermore, Freile violated a state law that required her to account for the whereabouts of Lincecum’s security deposit.

Lincecum’s attorney, Peter M. Bransten, said in a short phone interview that he had asked the court for a summary judgment in Lincecum’s favor. With the landlord subject to treble damages had she lost, Brantsen said, she agreed to the $100,000 judgment, although she can satisfy the judgment for less if she pays by a certain date. Bransten would not divulge the actual amount.

“It’s clear from the landlord’s agreement that a judgment be entered in Mr. Lincecum’s favor that her claim to have sustained hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages was baseless,” Bransten said in a statement issued by Lincecum’s agency. “Regardless of the amount in issue, Mr. Lincecum will aggressively defend himself against all meritless claims.”

The release included a Lincecum statement: “I am pleased with the result and believe that this was an attempt from the very beginning on the landlord’s part to take advantage of my public profile for financial gain. She kept the balance of my security deposit while making unsubstantiated claims of exaggerated damage. While litigation is something you always want to avoid, I will always defend myself against frivolous lawsuits.”

You can see photos of the (decidedly not trashed) townhouse in this gallery of images that went along with a real estate listing when the property hit the market in 2012: